Cover to Cover
by Kairaita
Summary: The missing pages of their Fairy Tail. Requests taken! 015. Temperature: Natsu, Gray – Natsu comes down with a fever, and Gray finds himself assigned to play doctor.
1. Beginnings - Natsu, Lucy

**001. Beginnings**

**Natsu, Lucy - "Take my hand, and I'll show you a real fairy tale."**

* * *

She is an entire year and a day older than sixteen now, and has never felt so free.

Gone and away are the days of stuffy dresses and demure expressions, of consenting silence and empty echoes. She has walked miles and miles on her own two aching legs, slept under a blanket of stars knowing each of their names as well as her own, sent a would-be robber running for the hills with her whip, found out what a few coy words and the loosening of a top button can do, and even tasted ice cream for the first time, relishing the frigid sweetness and satisfying crunch of a cone. She has shed sweat and blood and tears since leaving that prison that - despite everything - is still a home, never even daring to imagine that such a day could come. Life is wonderful.

_Except._

There is always an 'except'.

Except the loneliness is still there, a familiar, crushing feeling that seems to drag her farther from the sun each day.

But in the grand scheme of things, it seems like a small price to pay in exchange for the world.

She is happy. She _will_ be happy.

* * *

He has never found his age to be something important enough worth knowing, though everyone agrees he must be about as old as Gray and he does too, even if the idea of sharing anything with that ice bastard is about as infuriating as it gets.

Here and now are the days of new missions and exciting experiences, of routine brawls and the warmth of togetherness. He has learned to read with the help of a terrifying demon, punched his annoying rival in the jaw more times than the number of scales in his scarf, hatched a little blue cat of happiness into his family, and known loss one too many times. He has grown and changed and understood countless new things since leaving his forest in search of a father who never returned, still hoping like the boy he is. But, despite everything, he will make life wonderful.

_Except._

There is no 'except'.

Life _will_ be wonderful, and he is determined to make it so.

There is no price he would not pay in order to ensure that.

He is not Happy, because Happy is simply Happy, his faithful friend and partner. What a strange thought.

* * *

She meets him and he meets her in a little town by the sea, two people wanting and wishing for vastly different things. It seems to have all the makings to the beginning of a beautiful story, the kind of fairy tale where knights rescued princesses and dragons were slain and everyone lived happily ever after.

At least, that's what it seems. The truth could not be more different.

Make no mistake; it certainly is a story. A beautiful story, with a girl who ran away towards the future a little too fast and a boy who couldn't stop looking back at his past.

"_You want to join Fairy Tail, don't you? Come with me!"_

But, if you listen carefully, _this_ is how it really starts.

* * *

**A/N:** Because I need short things to write that aren't as headache inducing as typing out long chapters. I've always loved drabbles anyway, and writing to a prompt list is kind of fun. These will be about absolutely anyone and everything, including all pairings because I literally ship everyone and everyone together, but mostly general and friendship because Fairy Tail's friendship is super perfect.


	2. Key - Mirajane, Lucy

**002. Key**

**Mirajane, Lucy – "This is what they call an invasion of privacy, Mira!"**

* * *

"Hi, Natsu. Can I get you something?"

"Yo, Mira! You know that new girl who joined the other day?"

"Hm? Oh, Lucy, right? I remember stamping her hand. I heard she found herself an apartment on Strawberry Street already."

"Whoaa, seriously? I gotta go check it out! D'you have her key?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. The spare just came in. Here you go! Don't lose it now."

"Heheh, you're the best, Mira!"

* * *

"Gray, your clothes."

"Huh? Aah! When did that happen?!"

"But you didn't come over here just for me to tell you about your clothes, did you?"

"Uh, no. I heard you had Lucy's spare key, so I was wondering if I could borrow it for a bit to go tell her something. I bet she already forgot the flame brain and Erza were going to fight today."

"Oh my, did they start already?"

"Nah, not yet. But I figured Lucy wouldn't want to miss this."

"Here you go then!"

* * *

"Mira, I need Lucy's key."

"You're direct as always, Erza. Sure, but may I ask what it's for?"

"I-I… I need to return something of Lucy's that I borrowed. It was absolutely nothing improper, of course! Although I do wonder on _what_ sort of occasions you would wear that kind of underwear…"

"…Oh dear."

* * *

A vein twitched on Lucy's temple as she watched the small key swing gently from Mirajane's hand.

"How did you even get a spare of my key without me knowing?!"

* * *

**A/N:** Fun fact, Mirajane having a copy of Lucy's key and lending it out to the rest of the team is actually canon, somewhere in a volume Q&A.


	3. The Morning After - NatsuXLucy

**003. The Morning After**

**Natsu/Lucy – The sun smiles down on the perfectly normal scream that begins the day.**

* * *

It is not the first time, but she is determined to make it the last.

Golden strands spill across the pink pillow like streaks of sun, glinting faintly as Lucy rolls over and nearly bashes her head into Natsu's. Her eyes widen, her jaw drops, and Lucy _shrieks_ at the unexpected presence of another living, breathing, _sleeping_ human being in _her_ bed. A completely understandable reaction.

It is, of course, the perfect time for Natsu to mischievously crack one eye open, grinning sleepily at Lucy even as she flings indignation and slaps and punches in his direction. She pushes him off the bed, ranting about this strange concept called personal space, and he pulls the fluffy comforter with him, simply curling up on the floor and burying his head underneath it.

Lucy pauses for breath and in the darkly tinted pink pressed against his eyes, Natsu can almost imagine the pout forming on her face, puffed out cheeks and downward tilted lips and all. So when she hops down from the bed herself and makes to snatch the blanket away, he grabs her wrist and pulls her in with him and suddenly they are rolling around under the covers, engaged in a merciless tickle war. He reaches for that spot in the small of her back and she retaliates by attacking the side of his neck, peals of laughter being driven out from the both of them. And when they finally call a truce, sprawled over each other, panting, in a disheveled tangle of hair and arms and legs, their smiles are mirrored perfectly.

About making this the last time… She supposes it's not like Natsu will listen.


	4. Victory - GrayXErza

**004. Victory**

**Gray/Erza – The first, and only time he ever won against her.**

* * *

Gray Fullbuster is fifteen years old and determined. And possibly insane. Twice a week, he attempts to get over his crippling fear of _the_ scariest girl known to humanity, slams his head against a wall to make sure he's feeling suicidal enough to face _her_, and goes to meet Erza.

In retrospect, he was still slightly shell-shocked that Erza had agreed to their arrangement.

* * *

"Get up. Again."

Erza's snappy command makes Gray groan, feeling the ache of bruises in places that he didn't even know existed. He pushes himself ungracefully up from the ground, half-heartedly slamming his hands together for what feels like the hundredth time and watching an ice sword materialize in his grip.

Maybe having such a merciless monster of a girl instruct him in swordplay hadn't been the brightest of his ideas. One week of this, and he was already about ready to drop dead.

"Are you prepared, Gray?"

_No_, he thinks sarcastically, but he raises the sword in a defensive position nevertheless. "Bring it on!" Gray shouts with more bravado than he feels.

The words are hardly out of his mouth when he finds himself on the ground, flat on his back with all the air knocked out of him. Again. The ice sword lies next to him in two cleanly cut pieces, and the culprit herself has one knee on his chest, her own shiny sword planted in the ground a centimeter away from Gray's neck, just the slightest bit too close for comfort.

"It seems that I win again, Gray." There is just the slightest upturn of a mischievous smile to her lips. _Damn it!_

"Erza… Heavy…" he gasps, but it's apparently the wrong thing to say as Erza's eyes narrow dangerously. He means her armor, but the lack of oxygen was making Gray less than coherent at the moment.

She leans into his face, their noses almost touching, voice low and deadly in the tone that usually preludes a horribly painful and humiliating asskicking. "What did you say?"

There are any number of responses as the time spent in their admittedly awkward position stretches longer, and longer. They are so very close to each other. He suddenly wonders why he has never noticed the lighter flecks of color in her brown eyes, the way Erza's scarlet hair hangs down just so that it tickles his cheeks, that beautifully determined expression even when she's practically crushing the life out of him, her lips pursed in a somewhat childish pout, and more, more, so much more.

Whether it was the absence of air to his brain, a brilliant second of incomprehensible genius in tactics, or a tremendous surge of idiocy coupled with a death wish, Gray would never know. In that moment, he somehow manages to sit up, flip Erza onto her back in a quick movement, and lands a solid kiss on her lips.

"Do I win?"

* * *

The fate that awaited Gray after that was just a little worse than death, but locked away in a corner of his mind, only one thought lingered.

_Worth it._

* * *

**A/N: **Helloooo there, headcanon. Gray had to learn how to use swords from someone, right?


	5. Selfishness - GrayXJuvia

**005. Selfishness**

**Gray/Juvia – She slips through his hands like the element she commands.**

* * *

The skies sing to them a requiem in drips and drops.

Battered knees hit the ground hard by her side, splashing into puddles of diluted crimson water while incoherent, horrified mutters spill from his lips. "Oh no… No, no, no, no, no, dammit- Stay, stay with me, you hear?" Gentle hands lift her upper body up, one encircling her shoulders and the other making frantic motions over the bloody mess that is her torso. Funnily enough, there is no pain, only the vague awareness of a feeble cooling sensation, and she watches through blurred eyes as if far away, feeling wet dots pepper her cheeks from the dim clouds. "Ice Make-… _Ice Make-_ Shit, why isn't it working?! Ice Make-!"

"…Gray…-sama."

His tone is harsh, commanding, yet overflowing with that passive kindness she has always loved, always known. "I told you to stay with me, Juvia!"

She smiles beatifically up at him, slowly reaching for his rain-streaked face, and his hand catches hers when it begins to fall with a quiver. Perhaps it is selfish of her, to ask such a thing now.

"Gray-sama…"

He wants to punch something in his frustration, in his helplessness, in his complete inability to ever, _ever_ do anything when it matters – is he the only thing she is thinking of, when it is entirely his own goddamn fault that she is here lying like this and slipping somewhere farther and farther each second? "Shh. Don't try to talk. I'll fix it." His voice cracks strangely on the last word, drawing the syllable out with a shuddering jump. "I'll fix it," he repeats, as if he expects to see her body mend before his eyes.

She presses on disjointedly, interrupted only by soft gasps for air. Did breathing ever used to be so difficult?

"Gray-sama… W-Will you… do something for Juvia?"

The response is immediate. "Anything," he breathes, almost drowned out by the dull drizzling, clutching her pale hand so tightly that blood squeezes its way from between their interlaced fingers, trailing over whitened knuckles and wrapping like a watery red string around his and her arms.

"…Please tell Juvia… you love her."

She does not miss the way his dark eyes widen, pupils dilate in surprise at the impulsiveness of her request, of a silly, selfish little wish that she needs fulfilled, just this once. His mouth opens and closes several times in a row without sound, an eternity of hesitancy compressed into a split second – a split second long enough for her to see and realize.

…_Oh._

"I-I… I love you."

He says it abruptly, haltingly, black bangs shadowing his expression. A shaky breath is exhaled and he swallows before continuing, throat dry and shoulders trembling.

"I love you. I love you."

The fragile words rise to a feverish pitch, each one spoken more strongly than the last, shot through with tiny fractures in the fervent sound of his voice and vibrating, vibrating the very air with bitter notes and the unfairness of it all.

"I love you. _I love you._ I love you!"

Her smile grows wider and wider at each repetition, at each breathless, desperate declaration. Finally, after so very long, she's received her answer, in-between the lines of all the words she never listened to.

A small, subdued little laugh - the musical running of a stream - slips out even as it sends aching tremors throughout her body, and she lets her eyes drift shut with a faint sigh. Rain trickles from the corners of closed lids, the clear drops disappearing into limp waves of ocean-deep hair.

"…That's… not true, Gray-sa…"

She does not hear him call her name with increasingly panicked urgency; she does not see the way his expression crumples in disbelieving grief; she does not feel the way he presses his forehead against hers or the rush of insubstantial, choked whispers playing out a broken record of three desperately apologetic syllables—over and over again to a showering audience of deafening silence.

* * *

**A/N:** I was pretty surprised to see the theories about Juvia dying – I actually think Gray might be more likely to die than her, but this rolled out somehow. The ending is supposed to be ambiguous by the way, on whether he actually loves her or not. The three syllables can be anything the reader wants to think.


	6. Getting Away With Murder - Erza, Wendy

**006. Getting Away With Murder**

**Erza, Wendy – It happened in an instant. But in that instant, everyone knew it was all over.**

* * *

The entire guild was shaking, both literally and metaphorically, scared beyond their wits. Even the ends of Makarov's mustache seemed to wilt at the oppressive atmosphere. Some of the members with less courage fainted away right then and there, piled up in an attempt to shield the rest of them from the menace.

Erza walked up and down silently along the length of the guild hall, boots clicking and armor clanking ominously like some sort of countdown to the end of the world. Her expression was the definition of calm to any outsider, but those who knew better prayed for mercy and conferred in hushed whispers to each other.

"Who could have possibly-"

"Probably the flame brain."

"Oi!"

"E-Even Natsu wouldn't be that stupid… Would he?"

"I can hear you, y'know!"

The cause of the guild's uncharacteristic terror in contrast to their usual jovial chaos?

Splattered on the ground were the gruesome remains of Erza's once beautifully baked strawberry cheesecake.

There were certain rules in the guild that went unspoken, as everyone knew. The one most commonly executed in example was to always value your fellow guild members and friends more highly than anything else. In this particular instance however, an unspoken footnote was also added to this rule.

It was every man or woman for themselves if even one grain of sugar was harmed on the strawberry cheesecake of Erza Scarlet.

At last, Erza spoke. Softly, evenly, her words fell like a death sentence upon everyone's heads.

"Who is responsible for this?"

Silence.

"I asked a question. Who is responsible for the _murder of my strawberry cake?_"

Unbelievably, one figure found the courage to step forward despite trembling knees and shivering shoulders. The rest of the guild promptly labeled the person as having a death wish.

It was Wendy.

There were gasps, murmurs, Carla loudly protesting her partner's involvement, Happy sobbing and bemoaning Wendy's much too short life – until Erza silenced them all with a single gesture.

"Wendy?"

Fairy Tail's youngest Dragon Slayer jumped at being addressed, and frantically nodded her head.

"It was you?"

"I-I-I'm so s-sorry, Erza-san!" Wendy burst out, her large brown eyes turning shiny with unshed tears. "I didn't mean to- I just- I-I wasn't watching where I was going a-and I tripped into the table and… and… And the plate fell!" Her last words came out in a whimper and she put her hands to her face, shaking violently and repeating her apologies. Anyone who looked at her and didn't think she was genuinely sorry had no heart. Or soul.

Erza narrowed her eyes, and the rest of the guild held their breaths in terrified anticipation. Surely even Titania would not stoop so low as to exact revenge on a child?

(Certain people, namely Natsu and Gray as they remembered the days of their childhood, testified to the fact that yes, she would.)

For a long, nerve-wracking moment, there was no movement from either party. Finally, Erza sighed, and turned her back on the girl.

"Wendy."

"Y-Yes?!"

"Today, I bought a strawberry cheesecake and left it on the table. Assuming that no one will dare touch it while I am here, I am looking at the request board for an adequate mission. Once I have found such a mission, I turn around and am ready to enjoy my cake in its entirety, where it is sitting exactly where I have left it, untouched and unsullied. Do you understand me?"

A confused expression spread over Wendy's face for a moment before her eyes widened in realization. "Yes!"

Wendy bolted.

And so, the murder of Erza's strawberry cheesecake was solved and everyone lived happily ever after for another day.


	7. Lucky - Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel

**007. Lucky**

**Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel – If there's one thing they aren't, it's that.**

* * *

She was humming again, Gajeel noticed. The girl had been doing that a lot recently. Grass and trees alike bowed to the wind as she shifted and circled around restlessly, dropping back down with a sigh that rippled the surface of the nearby lake.

"Don't stop," he growled before he realized it, upon hearing nothing but silence. Wendy jumped a little, shrinking in on herself as a reflex. Even now, Gajeel still towered over her when he stretched himself to his full height, standing tall like the pillars of iron that used to protrude from his hands.

"Gajeel-san?"

"It was nice, Wendy." Blowing a small fireball out, Natsu swung his head towards the youngest member of their group from where he was sprawled out on a large rock, brotherly affection apparent in dark eyes. "Metal-head's just too much of a hardass to say it. You learned it from back then, didn't you? I remember… remember…" Only a vague swish of long white hair flashed through his mind. "I remember her singing that."

Gajeel snorted, light glinting off the round piercings lined along his nose. "My singing was miles better, Salamander."

"That shooby-doo-bop crap? Did you even hear when everyone else was booing you?"

"Shaddup, they were just jealous!"

"Natsu-san! Gajeel-san!" A strong gale blew straight into their faces, extinguishing flames that had been gathering at the edge of Natsu's jaws and chilling the many pointed teeth Gajeel had bared in preparation for their impending scuffle. Wendy stepped lightly towards them in a chiding manner, leaving deep imprints in the grass. "If you fight here, we'll be found. I like this place, so I don't want to have to leave for a while." Warm brown eyes blinked pleadingly at the duo. "Please?"

It was unfair, but that look she gave them _still_ worked, and they backed off.

"Feels like all we've been doin' is flying from one place to another lately, anyway," Natsu sulked, laying his head back down on the rock. "M'tired of it."

"Can't be helped, unless you want to be scarin' the ever-loving shit outta everyone we meet." Gajeel shrugged his massive shoulders nonchalantly, but his expression held a faint glimmer of the resentment that all three of them felt at having been forced into hiding.

They sank into silence as they did so often now, reflecting on days long gone by and their uncertain position in the world around them. White, white clouds drifted slowly above them in a blue, blue sky, almost taunting them with the fact that they alone were still here to remember a life once filled with laughter and joy.

Twisting her neck around, the youngest of the three let her eyes inspect an achingly familiar blue symbol on her front right leg, then roam to identical marks in red and black on vermillion scale-patterned and smooth metal-plated shoulders.

"Do… Do you think they're still watching us?" she asked, folding down the feathery wings neatly on her back as she gazed wistfully at the marks. _Do fairies have tails?_

Natsu grinned widely then, showing off rows of sharp fangs. Gajeel snorted as if the answer was obvious, settling down with a series of clanking noises.

"Always."

Wendy began to hum again.

* * *

**A/N:** AU where Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel turned into dragons and lived on while the rest of Fairy Tail is long dead. I don't know where this came from and it's pretty terrible, but I wanted to write something about the Dragon Slayers for the seventh chapter.


	8. GrayXJuvia Week

**008. Gray/Juvia Week**

**Seven sentences for seven days.**

* * *

**1. Ice and Water**

For most people, "love" had to start with "like"; for Gray and Juvia, it started with the deepest "confusion" and the tiniest "obsession" and a whole lot of freezing rain.

**2. Unspoken**

Once, she poured out all the things she couldn't say on a bottled slip of paper and set it adrift in the ocean; when the bottle conveniently washed ashore at a certain time in a certain place, it wasn't needed anymore.

**3. Alternate Universe**

"You should be chasing after my Earthland self since she's apparently exactly like you; you're practically made for each other-" "The only Juvia-chan I love is the Juvia-chan here."

**4. Teamwork**

"Let's go, Juvia; we're going to bring them the hail."

**5. Touch**

Shivers ran throughout her body as a glacial hand skimmed lightly over her guild mark, yet the tingling sensation his touch left blazed straight to her face.

**6. Pain**

There were chips and cracks in him that only she could smooth over like water melting ice, and there were raging tides in her that only he could calm like ice cooling water.

**7. Blushing**

She asked him to marry her and he answered in the only way he knew how – unless one counted the intense kiss that resulted right after.

* * *

**A/N:** I didn't want to post another Gray/Juvia chapter so close to my last one, but it's apparently their week? It was harder than I thought only writing one sentence for each prompt, and I cheated a bit on the AU one. Happy shipping!


	9. Preemptive - JellalXErza

**009. Preemptive**

**Jellal/Erza – "I said yes a long time ago."**

* * *

"-and I know that this is a great deal that I'm asking from you, but Erza Scarlet, will you-"

"Yes."

Jellal blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Erza tapped her foot impatiently, looking longingly at the wrapped box on the table. "I said yes."

"I didn't even say wha-"

"You were about to ask me to marry you, were you not? I said yes."

The blue-haired man spluttered at the most important question he had ever asked in his life being so nonchalantly answered. "H-How did you-"

She rolled her eyes. "I saw you walking out of the Heart Kreutz jewelry shop with Lucy last week with a small box, Master Makarov kept winking at me since yesterday, Ultear and Meredy sighed whenever I saw them, and I heard Natsu and Gray threatening you this afternoon. And," Erza gestured at the box once more, "you brought me strawberry cheesecake. You only bring me cake for special occasions or when you're trying to beg for my forgiveness. It's not my birthday, our anniversary, or the day we first had sex. We haven't argued over your silly self-punishment recently. In addition, the box is slightly heavier than the standard strawberry cheesecake you bring, so the ring must be in there. Am I incorrect in any way?"

Flabbergasted, Jellal stood in shock for several seconds at the fact that every attempt to keep his proposal a secret from Erza had been seen through rather blatantly.

"You've always been a bad liar. I could tell the moment you walked in."

"S-So you… accept?"

"Do I need to repeat myself again?" Erza sighed in exasperation before allowing a small, warm smile to spread across her lips. "Long before you ever needed to buy a ring, long before you joined Fairy Tail, long before that day at the beach, long before both we made our mistakes back then… I said yes a long time ago, Jellal."

"I…" Jellal almost felt like crying, but it would not be a manly thing to do. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now pass the knife and give me that cake."


	10. Passing Hands - Natsu, Gray

**010. Passing Hands**

**Natsu, Gray – After the events of Chariot, Gray feels that Natsu could use a little pick-me-up. Literally.**

* * *

Standing over the Dragon Slayer's crumpled form on the dusty ground of the arena, Gray let out a sigh of exasperation. "Seriously, you're so lame, Natsu."

"Nnngh…"

"Trying to act all cool with that speech of yours, and look at you now. Even Gajeel managed to get up on his own."

"S-Shut… up…"

The scattered claps still ringing from the stands were a pleasant turnaround from the boos of the previous day, even if they were certainly much quieter than the uproarious welcome that other guilds, especially Sabertooth, had received.

A faint surge of pride welled up in Gray as he looked down at Natsu, pushing down the remnants of shame that lurked when he recalled his own abysmal performance. If there was anyone who could earn such respect so quickly, of course it had to be this pink-haired idiot right here, who currently looked as if he were trying not to spew his guts out.

"Come on, let's go. Can't have you getting trampled on when the battle portion starts." Kneeling down, Gray pulled one of Natsu's arms over his shoulders, staggering a little when he stood back up. "Man, what do you eat? You're heavy."

"Leggo'f me… Can walk on… own… urp."

"Sure, and I can fly like Happy."

They made their way slowly out of the arena, with Gray half-dragging a semi-conscious Natsu more than anything. In between waves of nausea and coherence, Natsu vaguely wondered if Gray had been replaced by one of those weird clones from the Hidden game. Because Gray was being downright _nice_. And they simply didn't do _nice_, not when it came to each other.

Mostly, anyway.

"…-yesterday."

"Eh?" Natsu glanced up, then had to refrain from hurling again from the movement. Gray stared straight ahead impassively. "Uugh… You say… something?"

"Nope. If you throw up on me, I'll really drag you the rest of the way."

_Thank you. For yesterday._

* * *

"I was wondering what you went down there for, Gray. Natsu! Are you alright?"

"Just the usual stupid motion sickness. You got called up to fight yesterday, so you probably won't today. How about you take the flame brain up to the old hag's office, Lucy?"

"Eh?! Me?"

* * *

**A/N:** I want to see more of Natsu and Gray's friendship… It was nice to see Natsu defending Gray after Hidden on the first day, so I think this could have happened after Chariot, sort of like Gray paying Natsu back.

It's been ten chapters so far, and thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! Just a reminder that I do take requests and prompts, whether it's for pairings or not. Should I put this in the summary?


	11. ElfmanXEvergreen Week

**011. Elfman/Evergreen Week**

**There are at least eight words to describe their relationship.**

* * *

The door burst open loudly, only to be drowned out by Evergreen's incensed tirade as she and Elfman bickered their way into the bedroom.

"-and jumping in front of the sword like that, are you absolutely crazy?! If you weren't so ridiculously buff and that sword didn't bounce off, what would you have done then?"

"Protecting other people is a man!"

"And there you go again! Honestly, all I wanted was _one_ quiet day. Just one! But of course you just _happen_ to find a group of thieves who are conveniently on the run-"

A sheepish chuckle spilled out of Elfman's throat as he scooped Evergreen into his arms, the self-proclaimed Fairy Queen yelping in surprise as she was literally swept off her feet. "E-Elfman! Put me down!"

"Sorry, Ever." He leaned down and dropped a quick kiss on the side of Evergreen's neck where she always liked it, watching with amusement when her face flushed a delicate shade of crimson. "I'll be more careful next time. That's my promise, as a man."

The warm expression on Elfman's face almost made her melt; there was that look all over again, the look that was just the right amount of protectiveness and kindness and pure utter love. Why did she even bother pretending to be angry, when they both knew now it was just a front to conceal her worry?

That didn't mean he was off the hook though. Twisting in his arms, Evergreen executed a trick Bixlow had taught her long ago – though this time it was for a far more nefarious purpose – and flung Elfman onto the bed before planting herself neatly on his broad chest, running a slim finger along his jawline.

"E-Ever?" This time it was Elfman's turn to feel his cheeks heat up, the blush visible even under his tan skin. The woman had to be using some sort of spell, but why did he feel as if he had been turned to stone under her hungry-looking gaze, even when her thin glasses were still balanced over the bridge of her nose?

"You've still been a bad student," Evergreen whispered, positioning her face over Elfman's. Thick wavy locks of brown draped around the pair of them, and Elfman resisted the urge to sneeze. "I think it's time for a practical lesson. Class is starting… now."

Even as he shivered with a certain sort of pleasure under her touch, a vague thought flickered through the back of Elfman's mind, and between the two of them, he wondered who the beast really was.

* * *

**A/N:** What did I just write… It was interesting to write Elfman and Evergreen, and I hope they're not too terribly out of character. Saw that it was Elfman/Evergreen week somewhere, and I tried to cram in as many as the prompts in as I could.

To Fire Fairy: Your request is received! Expect to see it around chapter 14 or 15, since I have stuff planned specifically for the next few numbers.


	12. Zodiac - Celestial Spirits

**012. Zodiac**

**Celestial Spirits – Out of all the stars in the sky, they are the ones who shine the brightest.**

* * *

Their keys have been exchanged countless numbers of times in the world below, and after centuries upon centuries of this, they've more or less conditioned their own responses to it.

Aquarius prefers greeting her newest key-holders with a flash flood. Taurus ogles the women and butts heads with the men. Cancer offers a haircut. Virgo asks for punishment. Sagittarius, Capricorn, and Pisces are some of the few to introduce themselves with decorum. Leo tends to exude a distant sort of friendly warmth until he has formed a bond. Aries stutters out apologies for her own inadequacy. Scorpio goes with the flow, cheerfully casual with whoever might bear his key. Gemi and Mini can't help transforming into their summoners as a prank. Libra judges the worth of unfamiliar mages with her scales.

It's become a defense mechanism, because forming contracts is the one risk they allow themselves to take. Sometimes the risk is well-calculated, and sometimes not.

Humans see them as powerful. Crazy. Benevolent. Scheming. Respectful. Selfish. Loyal. All of those and more are true. They watch the ones blessed with the magic of the spirits pledge their trust and ask for their own in return.

In the end, watching is still the only thing they are allowed to do as the world continues to move on.

And they watch over this generation of the few celestial spirit mages too, knowing that even these bonds, the strongest yet, will be broken by time if nothing else.


	13. Outcast - Yukino

**013. Outcast**

**Yukino – She watches Fairy Tail's celestial spirit mage interact with her friends, and makes up her mind.**

* * *

It hasn't completely sunk in yet, what she was forced to do.

Her hand keeps drifting down to press against her hip. Even though her guild mark is—_was_ completely flat, there's already an emptiness settling in, and the beginnings of frigid terror.

Where will she go? What should she do? She is in an unfamiliar city with nothing to her name and nowhere to go, completely alone.

…No, not alone. Not yet. Reflexively, Yukino brings out her keys, turning them over in her palm. "I'm sorry, Pisces, Libra," she whispers, gripping them as the golden keys shine radiantly in her hand. But she suppresses them. She won't let them see her like this, doesn't want to hear the comfort and pity they will inevitably lavish on her, because she knows they care.

They'll be better off with someone who isn't cursed with misfortune.

Tucking the Zodiac keys away gently, Yukino absentmindedly caresses the single dark key left in her hand, feeling the ridges and bumps of the design wrapped around the shaft. How fitting for both of them, to be left like this. The outcast of the Zodiacs with an outcast of Sabertooth.

"It'll just be you and me now, Ophiuchus."


	14. Birthday - Lucy

**014. Birthday**

**Lucy – To be surrounded by gifts is another way of saying you're surrounded by love!**

* * *

"Can I take it off yet, Natsu?"

"No way! I told'ja already, you can take it off when I say so!"

"But it's really hard to move around like this- Whoa!"

"I got you, Lucy!"

"T-Thanks, Happy. That was close."

"I bet it's 'cause you're too heavy."

"What does that have to do with tripping while I'm _blindfolded?! _Anyway, what's all this about? You just suddenly told me to put it on…"

"Just a little farther!"

"Speaking of which, I saw Gray and Erza sneaking off earlier. This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with them, would it?"

"N-Nope! Not at all! Not even a little bit!"

"You should've seen Juvia; she was practically biting her nails off. And she glared at _me_ for some reason, like it was my fault!"

"Ah, we're here!"

"Where exactly is 'here'?"

She felt Natsu's hands gently slipping the cloth off her eyes and blinked into total darkness for a moment; then there was the flick of a switch and the whole area flooded with light.

"_SURPRISE!_"

Lucy cringed at the sudden adjustment and the exuberant cheer that roared at her in all directions, before her eyes snapped wide open and she realized she was standing in the threshold of the guild, gaping at the sight that awaited her.

The entire guild was decorated with glittering little paper star ornaments hanging from the ceiling, banisters draped with colorful ribbons, and right in the middle of the guild hall was every single member with wide grins on their faces. And even so, no one seemed more excited than Natsu and Happy, who beamed at Lucy as they moved to stand in front of her.

"Happy birthday, Lucy!"

She blinked once, twice, opened her mouth but had nothing to say. "W-What…"

"Don't tell me you thought we would forget." Gray spoke up then, shirtless as almost always and holding up a large cake with Erza and Wendy's help. Smiles lit up their faces as well, and the other members began to shout their own congratulations.

The rest of the celebration was mostly a blur, and Lucy would wake up in the morning with the entire guild passed out around her, evidence of Fairy Tail's characteristic parties scattered everywhere. Some of her celestial spirits had even shown up of their own accord, led by Loke.

And the clearest memory Lucy tucked away deep in her heart afterwards was the feeling of sheer happiness that she had not been forgotten.


	15. Temperature - Natsu, Gray

**015. Temperature**

**Natsu, Gray – Natsu comes down with a fever, and Gray finds himself assigned to play doctor. **

* * *

"…Why am I doing this again?"

"Because you're the one with ice magic," Lucy replied, setting the bowl she had refilled with cold water on the table. "Happy and I couldn't get his fever down, so we decided to use you instead."

Holding a hand radiating chilly mist over Natsu's forehead, Gray gave the celestial spirit mage a flat look. "Don't treat me like some sort of ice machine. Look, couldn't this have waited until tomorrow? A fever's not going to kill him."

"It was really bad earlier," Lucy insisted, soaking a towel in the water. "I know you're tired from your job today and everything, but just put it with it for a while. For Happy's sake?"

"Don't let Natsu die, Gray!" Happy wailed, burying his face in Lucy's chest. "He can't die! Who'll go fishing with me?"

"A fever's not going to kill him," Gray repeated wearily, but he glanced down at the Dragon Slayer again. Natsu did look pretty bad, seemingly dead to the world with his eyes shut tightly. When Lucy had pulled him into Natsu's furnace of a house no thanks to the fever, he'd had to cover the walls with a layer of ice on all four sides just to bring the temperature down to something less ridiculous. Natsu himself had had a _steaming_ towel on his head instead of a cold one, with sweat dripping profusely down his face and his breaths coming in quietly pained gasps. Even Gray had taken pity on the fire mage then. Natsu of all people having a fever would've been laughable if Lucy hadn't seemed so serious.

"Whew, it's still hot in here even with your ice, isn't it?" Wiping sweat from her own forehead, Lucy placed the fresh towel on Natsu's and stood up. "I'll go get some medicine. Watch Natsu until I get back, okay?"

"Huh?"

"Later!" And Lucy darted out the door with Happy at her heels while Gray stared dumbfounded at the empty space.

* * *

"What're you doing here…?"

Gray started at the mildly slurred sound, blinking open bleary eyes and reflexively said in a groggy voice, "Natsu?" Judging by the soreness in his neck, he'd apparently fallen asleep sitting up in the chair.

"I said, what're you doing here?" Natsu repeated, frowning in mild confusion. He seemed more alert now, patting the now lukewarm towel on his head. His gaze traveled from Gray to the iced walls, and he bolted upright. "The hell did you do to my-?! W-Whoa-" Natsu wobbled dangerously, rocking the hammock from side to side and nearly toppling onto the floor if not for Gray steadying him in time.

"Hey, watch it." He shoved Natsu slightly more gently than he usually would back onto the blankets. "Lucy dragged me over to keep your flaming head from burning your own place up." When Natsu only blinked hazily, Gray added, "You got a fever, idiot."

"Yeah right," Natsu scoffed, attempting to sit up once more. "I breathe _fire_. I don't get something stupid like a fever- What's that?"

"Apparently your body says otherwise," replied Gray dryly. "And what?" He followed Natsu's gaze to a small bottle and a note at his elbow, recognizing Lucy's neat handwriting almost immediately.

"_You looked too tired for us to wake up, so I'll just leave this here. Give it to Natsu when he wakes up too. It's still pretty warm at Natsu's place, so Happy and I will be at the guild. Good luck!"_

"Good luck? _Good luck?_" Gray seethed, scrunching the paper up in his hand. "Dammit, Lucy!"

"You're totally going to kill me!" Natsu yelped in alarm. "What was Lucy thinking, leaving _you_ here?!"

Somehow, that pissed Gray off even more. "You saying I can't take care of someone with a fever properly?"

"Hell no! You can't even take care of Mira when you make her cry!"

"That's totally different!" Fed up, the ice mage snatched the bottle, popping the cork off. Natsu wrinkled his nose at the strong scent of medicine drifting his way. "You saw what Lucy said. You get to drink this."

Natsu narrowed his eyes, stubbornly clenching his jaw. "Make me."

"Don't be such a baby." Gray held the bottle out to Natsu irritably, but the Dragon Slayer turned away from it, making a face. "Can you be any more annoying?"

"Sure I can." Natsu stuck his tongue out childishly, and Gray took the opportunity to stuff the opening of the bottle into the other mage's mouth. "Mmmphk!"

"You're drinking it whether you like it or not," Gray said exasperatedly, keeping a tight grip on Natsu's head to prevent him from pulling away. "It's for your own good, jeez."

When the bottle emptied and Natsu looked sufficiently green, Gray set the bottle aside and examined Natsu's face closely. "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

Natsu gagged a little. "Y-You can try it yourself next time," he choked out painfully, coughing. Gray rolled his eyes as he thumped the Dragon Slayer's back. "Bastard! When you get sick, see how you like having that crap stuffed down your throat!"

"Stop coughing on me! You're doing that on purpose!" Nevertheless, Gray forcibly pressed a cold hand against Natsu's forehead again, ignoring the protests. The fever had gone down significantly now, but still much warmer than even Natsu usually was. "Anyway, you're probably fine for now, which means I can finally go." He was about to pull away when he felt Natsu's hand on his wrist.

"…That feels good."

Gray blinked. "What?"

"That feels good," Natsu mumbled again reluctantly, looking up at Gray with a scowl. "Don't move."

"Try and stop me."

"Just a little longer. Please." Natsu practically spat the last word out, but the look of relief on his face was something the ice mage couldn't ignore.

Gray settled back into the chair with a sigh. "Fine. Just a little longer."

* * *

**A/N:** Uhh, better late than never? This was written as just friendship, but feel free to see it as something deeper if you're into that. Sorry for taking so long on your request, Fire Fairy! I hope it was what you were wanting. And to Lovely Story Writer, your request is up next.

…Updating this when I have so much other stuff to write? W-Well, even I need a break sometimes, aha.


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